At the start of the year, Kia Motors announced ‘Plan S’, a new mid- to long-term strategy aimed at progressively establishing a leadership position in the future automotive industry, encompassing electrification and mobility services, as well as connectivity and autonomy. This strategy outlines its pre-emptive and enterprising ‘shift’ from a business system focused on internal combustion engine vehicles toward one centred on popularising EVs.

The EV focus is already achieving unprecedented results in Europe. In the first quarter of 2020, sales of new EVs grew by 75 percent to 6,811 units. This meant that zero emission vehicles from Kia accounted for 6 percent of the company’s total European sales during the first quarter of 2020, up from 2.9 percent in the first quarter of 2019.

Electric Europe

To achieve these goals, Kia plans to offer 11 EVs in 2025 globally, across a range of vehicle segments – including passenger vehicles, SUVs and MPVs. The first of its next-generation EVs will be introduced to Europe in 2021, constructed on a unique platform specifically engineered to accommodate the car’s EV powertrain and technologies. Not only will it offer a crossover design which blurs the boundaries between passenger and sport utility vehicles, as well as a future-oriented user experience. It will also offer a single-charge driving range of over 500 km, as well as sub-20-minute high-speed charging time.

Emilio Herrera, Chief Operating Officer for Kia Motors Europe, said, “Many of Kia’s new EVs will be offered in Europe, which is currently the focal point for EV sales growth worldwide. We are encouraged by the early sales success of our current generation of EVs, the new e-Niro and Soul EV, which have been well-received by buyers across the continent. In every one of the last five years, we have reported growing sales of Kia EVs, and our next-generation models will accelerate this trend further.”

The company will launch many of the brand’s future global EVs following the introduction of the brand’s maiden dedicated zero-emissions model in 2021. Indeed, every new model line due to launch in Europe from now on will offer at least one variety of electrified (mild-hybrid, full-hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric) powertrain, as advanced powertrain technology forms an ever greater proportion of the brand’s European sales.

New User Experiences

Following the launch of its maiden dedicated EV, Kia will introduce several additional zero-emission vehicles from 2022 onwards, with their own EV-specific designs and a new user experience designed to make them even easier to live with day-to-day.

The company will offer many of its new vehicles with charging capabilities tailored to the needs and budgets of customers across a range of vehicle segments. Kia’s EVs will offer either 400V or 800V charging capacity, enabling fast or rapid charging depending on the different types of buyer for individual model lines.

Growing sales targets

The brand's early move to popularise EVs ahead of many other manufacturers has laid the groundwork for the future under Plan S. The company is targeting global annual sales of 500,000 EVs by 2026, and is aiming for more than 20 percent of its European sales to be fully-electric by this time.

The company’s current line-up of EVs will be joined by a wide range of EVs to help the brand to achieve this aim, bolstered by accelerating momentum from European drivers keen to make the switch to electric power. (MT)

Mumbai-based automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has announced its wholesales for April 2025 at 84,170 vehicles, a growth of 19 percent, including exports.

The auto major sold a total of 52,330 SUVs in the domestic market, which was 28 percent higher than 41,008 SUVs sold for the same period last year. Commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market came at 22,989 units, which was 4 percent YoY. 

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Building on the strong momentum of last year's performance, we began the year on a strong note in April by achieving SUV sales of 52,330 units, a growth of 28 percent and total vehicle sales of 84,170 units, a 19 percent growth over the same month last year. These numbers indicate the strength of our portfolio and customer offerings.”

JSW MG Motor India, a leading passenger vehicles manufacturer, has announced its wholesales for April 2025.

The company reported sales of 5,829 units, which was 23 percent higher over April 2024, when it sold 4,725 vehicles.

Interestingly, the automaker's popular offering, the Windsor EV, has continued to be the top-selling electric passenger vehicle for the seventh month in a row.

JSW MG Motor India's Windsor EV has now gone home to over 20,000 customers.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker, has reported its wholesales of 179,791 units in April 2025, marking a 7 percent increase compared to 168,089 units sold in April 2024. The growth was primarily propelled by strong performance in utility vehicles and a sharp rise in export volumes.

Domestic sales, including passenger and light commercial vehicles, remained flat with 142,053 units, as compared to 140,448 units in April 2024. Within this, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) like the Super Carry saw a significant jump of 34.2 percent, with sales rising to 3,349 units from 2,496 units last year.

In the passenger vehicle segment, SUVs such as the Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and others recorded a 4.4 percent increase, selling 59,022 units compared to 56,553 in the previous year. However, sales for Eeco declined by 5.2 percent, while the mini segment (Alto, S-Presso) saw a sharp 45 percent drop, falling to 6,332 units from 11,519 units. The compact segment, which includes high-volume models like the Baleno and Swift, grew by 8.1 percent, reaching 61,591 units.

Sales to Toyota Kirloskar Motor rose sharply by 79.2 percent, from 5,481 units to 9,827 units, indicating a growing demand for cross-badged products.

The standout performer was the export segment, which surged 26 percent to 27,911 units from 22,160 units in April 2024. This strong export growth helped bolster the company’s overall numbers despite weaknesses in domestic sub-segments.

While some product lines such as the mid-size sedan Ciaz (-63 percent) continue to struggle.

Tata Motors reported total wholesales of 72,753 units for April 2025, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year decline from 77,521 units in April 2024.

The passenger vehicle (PV) segment, including electric vehicles, accounted for 45,532 units, down 5 percent from 47,983 units in the same month last year. Within this, domestic PV sales dropped 6 percent to 45,199 units, while international business (IB) sales rose significantly to 333 units, up from 100 units. Electric vehicle sales (domestic + IB) declined 16 percent year-on-year to 5,318 units.

Commercial vehicle (CV) sales stood at 27,221 units, marking an 8 percent YoY drop from 29,538 units in April 2024. Domestic CV sales contracted 10 percent to 25,764 units, while CV exports (IB) grew 43 percent to 1,457 units. Key sub-segments like Small Commercial Vehicles (SCV) and pickups saw a steep 23 percent decline.

Despite growth in certain categories like ILMCV trucks and passenger carriers, overall sales momentum was tempered across both PV and CV segments.